


My Bloody Valentine

by lionessvalenti



Category: Grimm (TV)
Genre: Camping, Canon Het Relationship, F/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-13
Updated: 2012-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-31 03:27:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/339363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nick and Juliette take a romantic camping trip together for Valentine's Day, but nothing ever goes quite as planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Bloody Valentine

**Author's Note:**

> It's a cliché of a title, but appropriate. It's Grimm, after all.  
> Thanks to Elrhiarhodan for the beta read!

The weather was warm for February, even in Portland, where the winters were typically mild. So, instead of enjoying a night in, or even booking a hotel room for Valentine's Day, Nick and Juliette headed out into the woods for a camping weekend.

They weren't typically campers, but they went a couple times a year. When they arrived at the campsite and settled down, it was just cool enough to make sharing a sleeping bag comfortable. Not that they had planned on sleeping separately.

With Nick still asleep, Juliette opened the tent flap and slipped outside. It was still a little dark, the sky overcast through sunrise, and the air was cold against her face. She took a deep breath of the cool, crisp air. Yes, the camping trip had been a good idea. Their campsite was isolated, so they had all the privacy they wanted, but she thought she heard the sounds of campers not too far away. Unsurprising, with the weather as nice as it was.

There was a rustling behind her, and she turned to smile at Nick as he scrambled out of the tent. His hair was sticking up adorably in the back, where he clearly hadn't thought to run his hand over it.

"Good morning," she said, trying not to laugh at the state of his hair.

"Morning," Nick replied as he closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around her, his body warm against hers. 

"I haven't brushed my teeth yet," Juliette said before he could lean in for a kiss.

He grinned. "Yeah, me neither. If we can't handle morning breath, I think we might be screwed."

She laughed and kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Nick bumped his hip against her body. "How do you feel about breakfast and then a hike?"

"Perfect," Juliette replied. She reached up and ran her fingers through his tangled hair, flattening it in the back. "But I'm going to brush my teeth first."

He laughed and pulled away. "You and me both."

After they'd eaten, they headed out onto the trails. They started out holding hands, but as the hills grew steeper, they fell apart. Nick, the stronger hiker, moved ahead, but Juliette didn't mind. He was always within view, and if he got too far, he'd stop and wait for her.

"I forget how beautiful it is out here," Juliette said as they passed a gushing creek. It wasn't just the way the water went white as it rushed over the rocks, but the soothing sounds it made. "Even if I am a city girl at heart."

"Yeah, well, every time I'm out here, it's for a murder," Nick replied. He laughed ruefully and started ahead of her on the trail. "It goes without saying that this is better."

She laughed, too. "I'd hope a weekend with your girlfriend is better than a dead body."

"You're a hell of a lot prettier," he said over his shoulder.

They were nearly to the ridge when Juliette grabbed Nick by the shoulder. "I have to pee. I won't be able to enjoy the view if I'm squirming."

He laughed. "I'll wait for you here. You have toilet paper in your pack?"

"I'm always prepared," she replied with a nod. "I'll be right back." She walked off the trail and into the thick of the woods, and a few yards in, she spotted a clearing ahead.

As Juliette approached the clearing, her breath caught in her throat. The ground was splashed with blood, and it was still fresh, shining brightly and wet against the dull browns of winter landscape.

Animal blood, she thought, but she wasn't convinced as she looked around. There was so much blood. Would a bear spread that much blood around? And where was that carcass? There was nothing except--

Juliette looked down and there was a heart at her feet. A human heart.

She stumbled backward, and luckily ran into a tree instead of falling over. "Nick!" she called, twisting halfway around. "Nick, come here!"

She wrapped her arm around the tree, and she could hear Nick thrashing through the woods to her.

"Juliette?" he called as he got closer to her. His hand rested at the small of her back. "What is it -- oh." He stared around into the clearing. "It could be a deer?"

"No, it's not," Juliette replied, pointing to the heart. She let go of the tree and turned to Nick, taking a slow breath. "This couldn't have been an animal attack. Nothing would eat a body and drag off the bones, but leave the heart."

Nick stared down at the heart, his brow knitted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He looked up at Juliette apologetically. "This isn't exactly the heart I wanted to give you for Valentine's Day. I'm sorry you had to see this."

She raised her shoulders to her ears. "These things happen, apparently. What kind of person would do something like this?"

"A not very good one," Nick replied with a somber face. He brought his phone to his ear and called it in.

Juliette watched as as he walked away, possibly fighting the weak signal as he started talking. He was right; it wasn't the weekend getaway they had planned, but what in life ever went as planned?

Except she -- Nick had been so different lately. She'd wanted to have time together, just the two of them, without distraction.

She sighed, taking a deep breath of the clean air, and started in the opposite direction. She still needed to pee, and she wanted to have it done before the area was crawling with cops.

Besides, she thought, they didn't need it to be Valentine's Day for a romantic weekend. They could have one that didn't end with blood-splattered woods. There'd be time.


End file.
